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Danish Zoo criticized for killing giraffe

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Copenhagen Zoo official: If we sterilized giraffe, he'd just take up needed space

Giraffe's autopsy performed outside in front of people at Copenhagen Zoo

Zoo says giraffe killed because of a duty to avoid inbreeding

Giraffe's carcass was fed to zoo's carnivores

An online petition to save a healthy young giraffe from death has failed, despite thousands of signatures from animal lovers.

Copenhagen Zoo said it euthanized the male, named Marius, on Sunday because of a duty to avoid inbreeding.

After an autopsy, "Marius" was dismembered in front of a zoo audience that included children, and fed to the zoo's lions.

Despite online uproar over the move and reports of last-minute attempts to save the animal, the zoo in the Danish capital said it had no place for Marius in its giraffe herd.

"Our giraffes are part of an international breeding program, which has a purpose of ensuring a sound and healthy population of giraffes," Bengt Holst, scientific director at Copenhagen Zoo, told CNN. "It can only be done by matching the genetic composition of the various animals with the available space. ... When giraffes breed as well as they do now, then you will inevitably run into so-called surplus problems now and then."

Photos: Danish zoo kills healthy giraffe 7 photos

Photos: Danish zoo kills healthy giraffe7 photos

Danish zoo kills healthy giraffe – A Danish zoo has euthanized a healthy male giraffe, named Marius, saying it had a duty to avoid inbreeding. This photo of the giraffe was taken on February 7. The 18-month-old giraffe was put down with a bolt gun on Sunday, February 9, according to a zoo spokesman.

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Photos: Danish zoo kills healthy giraffe7 photos

Danish zoo kills healthy giraffe – Protestors demonstrate outside the Copenhagen Zoo against the killing of the giraffe on February 9.

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Photos: Danish zoo kills healthy giraffe7 photos

Danish zoo kills healthy giraffe – After an autopsy the giraffe was dismembered in front of a zoo audience that included children, and fed to the zoo's lions.

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Photos: Danish zoo kills healthy giraffe7 photos

Danish zoo kills healthy giraffe – Visitors to the zoo watch as the giraffe is autopsied and butchered.

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Photos: Danish zoo kills healthy giraffe7 photos

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Photos: Danish zoo kills healthy giraffe7 photos

Danish zoo kills healthy giraffe – A zoo vet carries out an autopsy on the giraffe.

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Photos: Danish zoo kills healthy giraffe7 photos

Danish zoo kills healthy giraffe – The giraffe was killed using a bolt gun, not a lethal injection, so that the meat would not be contaminated and could be used to feed the lions and other carnivores.